Unless You Believe That I am He…

By John Foll, written 03/20/2019 - 03/23/2019.

© Copyright 2019 John Foll

Jesus said, ‘unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.’ John 8:24 NASB.

Do not suppose that Jesus was merely referring to the children of God on earth in His day here when He spoke this. Jesus said ‘unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’ Yes, Jesus is speaking to the people in our day too and you! No one can save themselves, no matter how hard they try, no matter what they do - no matter what, regardless of how much truth they believe in, or how good they think they are. You simply cannot save yourself, dear reader. Unless you believe that Jesus was the Lamb of God, sent to take away the sins of the world - unless you believe that God sent Jesus to take away your sins, you will not have any life within you. Unless you believe that Jesus is the only one, you do not have any life within you. But if you believe Jesus is the one, you will have this life Jesus promised to all who would take it. When John-the-Baptist declared that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, that is what he said and that is what he meant. John 1:29, 36. For Jesus to be able to take away all of the sins of the world - He must take away your sins too. He came not only to clear your guilt from the record books in heaven, but He came to take away your sins as well, to help you stop sinning.

Jesus' declaration in John 8:24 addresses every single person here on this planet. Unless they believe that Jesus is the son of God, the Messiah, to save them from their sin, they will die in their sins. This not only includes forgiveness of sin, but their salvation as well. Salvation was paid for at the cross, but it is not complete until God's people are taken to heaven, to never see death or feel pain again - all crying and dying will pass away! We must believe that Jesus is the one who can save us or we will die in our sins! Ah dear reader, do not miss this point! Unless you believe that Jesus is the one, the one who can save you, you will die in your sins. We're sorry if you think this is too blunt, but it is the truth. What does it mean to believe in Jesus? It means to believe the He is the one who can save you out of all of the distresses in this world, and that He can save you from your sins. It is the belief that He can save you. He takes away your addiction to sin and your sinful propensities - He can make you righteous.

We were saying that when Jesus said ‘that unless you believe that I am He, the one, that you will die in your sins’ – that it applies to us in our day too because it's the truth - it's not just for God’s people in the days when Jesus walked this earth. We are not saying this to pick on those whom He was speaking with, because unbelief and pride seem to be a common problem in humanity. And yes even in our day, many Christians have trouble believing the Jesus can save them from all of their faults and problems. Oh they may say they believe, but where is their belief when doubts and discouragement come? Where is their belief when trials and temptations come? Do they believe that He loves them and died to save them? Do they believe the Jesus has the power to save them? Really save them? Or do they think they are stuck in an endless cycle of sinning with no way out, except to pray for forgiveness? This belief is not correct. True belief believes that Jesus is God, and that He has the ability of saving them.
 
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see! * What God did for me was so amazing – He overcame my doubts when He filled my heart with His love and peace! And now when temptations and struggles to doubt come my way, He helps me regain my faith in Him. So I no longer worry about these things as long as I stay right with God. But oh how sweet it is to know that God loves you, and that you are forgiven! You have a new chance to please Him and start over! Oh how sweet it is to get the victory over the problems and sins that bind you! Jesus claimed that He would free the captives. Luke 4:16-21. If the Son of man has made you free, you shall be free indeed! John 8:36. This is the message we want to preach with all of our strength today in this article. If the Son has made you free, you are free indeed!

* From the Song Amazing Grace, by John Newton.

Dear reader, do you believe the Jesus is the one? Our prayer for you, dear reader, is that you would believe that Jesus loves you and died to save you, and that you would believe that He is the one! And the only one who can ever save you! From this world of sin suffering and death! You may wonder why we are using so many exclamation marks here? It’s because we want you to get it! We want you to get that if you believe that Jesus is the one, that you can have eternal life. If you trust in Him, if you believe in Him with all your heart mind and soul, and that He will finish the good work He started in you, then you will be saved! Philippians 1:6. We wish that someone had fully taught this to us years ago. It would have saved us so much heartache and grief! Perhaps if we had fully given ourselves to God then, we would have known without a doubt that He loved us, and would have really believed that Jesus His Son died to save us, and we would have had this joy that was impossible to hide. But no matter, He has revealed His love to us now and our life is so much the better. We don't want to go back to the way we used to live, of not really believing that Jesus was the one - the only one. And that He is well able to save us, if we trust in Him all the way.

Dear reader, why not trust in him all the way now? What do you have to lose? If you trust Him all the way, you'll be given the ability of knowing that He can save you, bad as you are, and you will stop worrying about whether you are good enough to be saved. And you will want to serve God and obey Him! And you'll have the power to obey Him too! This is our prayer for you, and for everyone who would come to the Fountain of Life. Drink, all who are thirsty! Drink from the Water of life, flowing freely from the throne of God, offered to you if you will take it. If you would accept it and drink to your heart's content, oh how can you not want to drink more and more? You will be changed and be filled with riches beyond measure, and you will have the priceless love and joy in your heart from your most blessed savior! He loves you and wants to save you!

Dear reader, do you believe that Jesus is the one? All the peace, joy and love an eternal life that you have longed for and more can be yours, if you truly believe in Him. If you find you are having trouble believing in Him, keep reading about His wonderful love and the plan of salvation in the Bible, starting in Genesis going all the way to Revelation, praying that He will help you, and learn to devote yourself to Him, then this blessing will overtake you.

It's not about how smart you are, or how strong you are, or how good you are. It's about believing in Jesus. It's about believing that He is the one! The only one! The one who loves you and died to save you! There, we did it again! We're using exclamation marks again because we want you to get it dear reader! Whenever this happens to you, no one will have to tell you that a wonderful change is taking place in your life because you will know it. I know how happy you'll be! Oh how happy you will be to belong to Him! Then when Jesus comes in the clouds with great glory you won't shrink back in fear from your Lord whom you love! Hebrews 10:39; Isaiah 25:9. Oh no! You will say this is my God whom I have waited for, and He has come to take me home! I knew that He loved me and I love Him. I knew that He was going to save me! I knew this because He told me so – yes, He told me so! I knew He would come back to take me home like He promised! John 14:1-3.

May the grace of God be with you all!

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Lessons on Faith: Part 6 of 14: The Faith of Abraham 2

By A. T. Jones

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When Abraham and Sarah had cleared themselves of all the scheme of unbelief which had produced Ishmael and had stood upon faith alone -- dependence on the word of God alone -- Isaac, the true child of the promise, was born. 

In harkening to the voice of Sarai (Gen. 16:1), Abram had swerved from the line of strict integrity to the word of God, from the strictness of true faith, and now that he had returned to the word only, to true faith, he must be tested before it could be certainly said of him that his faith was counted for righteousness. 

He had trusted the naked word of God as against Ishmael and had obtained Isaac, the true child of the promise of God. And now, having obtained Isaac, the question must be determined whether he would trust the naked word of God as against even Isaac himself. 

Accordingly, God said to Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." 

Abraham had received Isaac from God by trusting the word of God only. Isaac alone was the seed promised by the word of the Lord. After Isaac was born, God had confirmed the word by declaring, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." Gen. 21:12. And now came the word of God, Take thy son, thine only son Isaac, and offer him for a burnt offering. 

God had declared to Abraham, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven for multitude. "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." "In Isaac shall thy seed be called," and now, Offer Isaac for a burnt offering! 

But, if Isaac is offered for a burnt offering, if Isaac is burned up, what will become of the promise of the blessing of all nations in him? What will become of the promise, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven innumerable? Yet there stood the word, Offer Isaac for a burnt offering. Abraham had trusted the word of God only, as against Ishmael, but this is more than trusting the word of God as against Isaac -- it is trusting the word of God as against the word of God! 

And Abraham did it, hoping against hope. God had said: Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven; In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Offer Isaac for a burnt offering. Abraham did not insist that God should "harmonize these passages." It was all sufficient for him to know that the statements were all the word of God. Knowing this, he would trust that word, would follow that word, and would let the Lord "harmonize these passages," or "explain these texts," if any such thing were needed. 

Said Abraham: God has said, Offer Isaac for a burnt offering. That I will do. God has said, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." And, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven for multitude. I interfered once in the promise and hindered it till I repudiated all that I had done and came back to the word only. Then, by a miracle, God gave me Isaac, the promised seed. Now He says, Offer Isaac, the promised seed, for a burnt offering. I will do it. By a miracle God gave him at the first, and by a miracle God can restore him. Yet when I shall have offered him for a burnt offering, he will be dead, and the only miracle that can then restore him is a miracle that will bring him back from the dead. But God is able to do even that, and He will do it, for His word is spoken, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven for multitude, and In Isaac shall thy seed be called. And even the bringing back of Isaac from the dead will be to God no more than He has already done, for, as to offspring, both my body and Sarah's were as good as dead, and yet God brought forth Isaac from us. He can raise Isaac from the dead, and He will. Bless the Lord! 

It was settled. He arose and took his servants and Isaac and went three days' journey "unto the place of which God had told him." And when on the third day he "saw the place afar off," "Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you." Gen. 22:5.  Who will go? "I and the lad will go." And who will come again? "I and the lad will go . . . and come again to you." Abraham expected to have Isaac come back with him as certainly as that he went with him. 

Abraham expected to offer Isaac for a burnt offering and expected then to see Isaac rise from the ashes and go back with him. For the word of God had gone forth, In Isaac shall thy seed be called, and, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven for multitude. And Abraham would trust that word only, that it could never fail. Heb.  11:17-19. 

THIS IS FAITH. And thus "the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness." James 2:23. But yet above this, "It was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed; if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification." Rom. 4:23-25. 

To trust the word of God only, to depend upon the word of God only, to depend upon the word of God, even as against the word of God -- this is FAITH. This is the faith which brings the righteousness of God.  

This is what it is to exercise faith. This is "what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of exercising faith.” And "understanding how to exercise faith," this is the science of the gospel. And the science of the gospel is the science of sciences.  

RH Jan. 31, 1899 

By A. T. Jones in the Review and Herald periodical in 1899.

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A Lesson From the Grass Part 1 of 2

By E. J. Waggoner

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There could be no more sure way to undermine the Gospel, and rob it of its power, than the substitution of the teachings of "Science falsely so called" for the simple word of God. God has been relegated to the rear, and is regarded as afar off. So, although many did accept that Gospel which is preached to them, and do sincerely wish salvation from sin, evolution, even though they have no conscious belief in it, has so taken the edge off of faith that they are not able to come close to the Lord, to walk and talk with Him, and to make Him an active Factor in every affair of life.

But let us note some simple facts that will justify one, even in this scientific age, in believing that the word of the Lord, which in the beginning said, "Let the earth bring forth grass," is still causing the earth to bring forth grass. Who has not watched the springing forth of the tender blade of grass or corn? Have you not at times passed along by the field of corn, and noticed a tiny blade pushing its way to the surface, in spite of heavy clods of earth? Have you not seen a portion of the baked earth heaved up, and, looking beneath, have seen that a tiny spire held it up, so tender that it could not support its own weight if released from its position? The blade had as yet scarcely any color, and was but little more than water, for if you had crushed it in your fingers there would have been scarcely anything but moisture on your hand. Yet this tiny thing was pushing away from before it a clod of earth ten thousand times its own weight.

Whence comes this power? Is it something that is inherent in the grass? Try it, and see. Take that blade of grass that is full grown. Select a small clod of earth, not half the size of the one that was pushed away from before it when it was crowding its way to the surface of the ground, and put it upon the grass. What is the result? Anybody can tell you. The grass is crushed to the ground. It has no power in itself. Test it again. Take that blade that is pushing its way to the surface from beneath that clod, and remove it from the ground. You take it in your fingers, and it lops down over the side of your hand. It cannot stand upright. Scarcely anything can be thought of that is weaker, and yet but a few moments before it was standing erect, and bearing a burden infinitely heavier than itself. Here is a miracle that is wrought hundreds of millions of times every year, and yet there are those who say that the age of miracles is past.

Will any scientist tell what is the source of the marvelous power exhibited in the grass, or in the bursting of the hard shell of the peach stone by the little germ within? There is something there that no microscope can discover, and no chemical analysis can detect. We can see the manifestation of Power, but cannot see the power it self. Skeptics may sneer if they please, but we are content to believe that the power is nothing else than the power of God's word. The word of the Lord said in the beginning, "Let the earth bring forth grass," and the power of that word causes the grass to spring forth in spite of all the clods of earth. There is no power in the grass, but that most feeble instrument is used to exhibit to man the mighty power of God. In that every man may learn a lesson - if he will.

Did I say that we were content to believe that it is the power of the word of God that is manifested in the blade of grass? Nay, not content merely, but glad that we can recognize God's power in small things. In that we see the assurance that God is able to do for us "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." Ephesians 3.20. For the same power that worked in the grass of the field also worked in the man who puts his trust in the lord. "All flesh is grass." Isaiah 40.6. Man is as weak and frail as the grass, having absolutely no power in himself; yet he is able to do all things through Christ, who strengthens him.

The Gospel in Creation, by E. J. Waggoner, p. 38 – 40: From Chapter Six: The Sixth Day: What is Man?

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